A catch of a motor vehicle latch has a fork-shaped inlet slot into which a locking bolt of a motor vehicle door or motor vehicle flap enters when the motor vehicle door or motor vehicle flap is closed. The locking bolt then rotates the catch from an open position to a closed position. If the catch has reached a closed position, the locking bolt can no longer leave the inlet slot of the catch. In the closed position, a pawl ratchets the catch by moving the pawl from a starting position into its ratchet position. After ratcheting, the catch can no longer be rotated back into the open position.
On a motor vehicle latch, there are regularly two ratchet positions which can be assumed consecutively during closure of the catch, i.e. the so-called pre-ratchet position and the so-called main ratchet position. It is possible that only one pawl is present which is capable of ratcheting the catch in the pre-ratchet position and in the main ratchet position. However, two pawls can also be provided for, whereby the first pawl can ratchet the catch in the pre-ratchet position and the second pawl can ratchet the catch in the main ratchet position.
If the catch is ratcheted by the pawl, the pawl must be moved from its ratchet position into its non-ratcheting starting position in order to open a pertaining door or flap. The catch can subsequently be moved into its open position. If the catch has reached its open position, the locking bolt can leave the catch and the pertaining door or flap can be opened.
In order that the pawl cannot be moved back into its ratchet position in an unscheduled manner during such an opening process, a retaining device can be present which retains the pawl in its starting position during opening. A latch with such a retaining device is known from publication US 2011/316293 A1. The known retaining device comprises an elastically pre-tensioned spring which can retain the pawl in its non-ratcheting starting position during opening due to the elastic pre-tensioning.